Turning your website from a drab static website into an exciting lead producing machine can take time and money. Here we have a long list of lessons we have learned over the years to produce the best web design that converts readers into customers. First though, here are some quick tips;

Optimising your website for conversion is an ongoing long term initiative, a few quick points from this page will not make your website the best it can be.

Focus first on the offer, then the layout.

Dramatic changes can yield dramatic results. – we once turned a 40% bounce rate website into a 5% by scrapping the theme and starting again.

Excellent Design. In the end, your website is the most important piece of marketing you can own, and it must look good. The best web design obeys the rules of aesthetics and landing page design, this means premium real estate for the logo and the offer, concise use of page layout, customisable widget areas.

Customisable. You should be able to make many changes to a template without spending too much time sweating over the code. You should also be able to do most of that through a CMS system or something similar. The easiest CMS Systems are Joomla and WordPress.

SEO friendly. Your website should at least be optimised for SEO, that meant no flash, good used of H1 tags, CSS menus, title tags, meta descriptions and a HTML and XML sitemap.

Accessibility. The best web designs work with all modern browsers and have W3C valid code.

The offer should be easy to see and understand. A large dark headline with light background behind a features area will attract attention to the offer. The best web designs have all other elements balanced, so they don’t overwhelm. You should use short, direct, language that speaks to the user.

A clear primary call to action. Don’t just state “click here”. You should have action verbs that relate to the offer, like “Buy Now” or “Find Me”

Repeat the call to action. Drive customers to interact with you.

Use contrast. The more contrast you have, the easier the website is to read.

Keep the pages short and to the point. Whilst it is “en-vogue” to have a long page jammed with SEO Keywords, the best performing web designs have less content, more focussed offers and several calls to action.

Content on the left, call to action on the right.

You need a two column layout, with the sales proposition to be the first thing that the user sees. Their eye will naturally track to the right, where you put your call to action button. When they use Google to search for your product you want them to see the offer first.

White background.

All research in readability points to having a white background as THE best way to endure copy is readable. To put this another way you should have black text on a white background. If the background is not white, it makes it difficult to use any other colours in your body.

Stretchable side areas (outside of the body)

Either you need to build your website at 1000px across with stretchable side areas, or have no side areas at all.

Reduced Javascript and CSS fed from the bottom

Cut down on javascript and CSS, have them in one file each and load them from the bottom. This will speed up the web page load time.

How do you choose the best web designer when you know almost nothing about website design, what you need and how to build it?

This article will help you make an informed decision instead of just selecting the first web designer you find.

7 steps for choosing the best web designer:

1. Know the purpose of your website

Before searching for a web designer it’s a good idea to know what you want your website to do for your business. It will help the designer to know your needs. These are some questions to ask yourself:

Do you want to generate leads?

Do you want to an online presence for your offline store?

Do you wish to sell products and/or services?

Do you want to interact with your customers?

Do you want to build long term relationships?

2. Experienced professional

There are many amateur designers who want to become professional. The problem is they don’t have many years of experience. For example they may create a pretty design but don’t know how to create search engine friendly pages. Look for a designer that has several years of experience, the more the better. Visit their website to see the portfolio of websites they have already designed.

3. Qualifications

By viewing their portfolio you have a good idea of the types of websites they have built, however some amateur designers will simply get a template, modify it a little then charge you for a complete design. A professional web designer should at least have these skill requirements:

html/xhtml

cascading style sheets (CSS)

javascript

graphic design

ecommerce design

php script installation and customization

search engine optimization

email marketing

FTP

Other design qualifications

CIW (Certified Internet Web Professional) is the world’s leading Web technology certification and curriculum program. The Master CIW Designer Certification shows the designer has taken the time and made the investment to become a Master Designer. You can’t go wrong if you find a designer that has been awarded this certification.

5. Testimonials

Reading the recommendations from clients shows these clients trust in the designer’s services. Visit the designer’s website to read the testimonials. Ask for them if you don’t see them.

6. Pricing

This is going to be all over the map because it depends on the complexity of the work involved and who is doing it. An online store is containing 100s of products is going to cost more than a 5 page html website. A corporate design firm with many employees is going to charge more than a freelance web designer because they have to pay out salaries. Ask for a preliminary proposal from the designer before hiring him or her.

7. Ask for a contract

The contract should clearly state what’s involved in the design of the website, prices, maintenance and hosting fees. It should also include who owns the website and the timetable for completion.

If your web designer fulfills all these requirements, is friendly, helpful, polite and easy to work then go for it. You have made an informed decision that you will be happy with.

It is imperative that to obtain traffic to your website you must have the best web designs. A small business web site design which has a low web design cost and is effective should be your target.

Visitors to your website do not want to see loads of technical or sales jargon trying to offer fantastic deals when buying their particular product.

One should always bear in mind that a website should cater for the needs of the visitor rather than bombarding the visitor with a host of products to buy.

Thought should be given to the type of visitor you hope to attract to your website and the information which they are seeking. A happy visitor who has confidence in your website will most likely make a purchase from it in due course.

A sales oriented web site will put people off. They will not return.

A cool web design providing your visitors with the right type of information is essential.

What should your website contain?

Always say who you are, preferably with a little history.

A photo is an another item that helps.

The website should clearly state what is its purpose. An audio or a video presentation is even better.

Always bear in mind that it is the visitor who is most important; therefore think what the visitor is looking for.

Always give clear and concise answers to what you believe will be the topics they want information on.

Point out the advantages of your website without over selling.

Itemise the salient features of your website and what special benefits it has to offer.

Remember no hard selling; just itemise the special features of your website and you will have a happy visitor who will use your website to hopefully make a purchase.

If you are recommending a product it is best to purchase the product first, so that your recommendation is based on fact.

Highlight the main advantages of the product, but also mention any slight drawbacks. Visitors like a genuine review.

The web site graphic design should be clear and uncluttered. The web design cost should also be realistic.

Too many banners and links tend to be very off putting.

A good headline with all important data should be placed in a position to catch the visitor’s eye.

A trial offer, either free or at a very low cost can be beneficial. It is also imperative that once a purchase has been made that the customer is given a 100% guarantee for a full refund if the product does not come up to expectations.